Feasibility in the development of engineered stone using incinerated municipal solid waste

Owing to the exponential growth of industrialization and urbanization, an increased scarcity and spiraling cost of the landfill sites resulted in environmental burden in disposing of waste. These waste residues needs to be warranted either safe disposal or recycling. One such waste is the incinerated municipal solid waste (MSW) ashes accounted in producing about 6% per year in India. In the present study, MSW ashes were utilized in the development of polymer based engineered stone. A bio-based cashew derived hardener blended with epoxy resin was used as a polymeric binder at varied weight percentages viz., 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% respectively. Structural, physio-mechanical and durability aspects ascertained a feasibility of the developed engineered stone. Two-stage optimization techniques i.e. cement-based for waste residues and polymer-based for composite employed. Engineered stone developed using particulates of normalized ratio 78:22 (fly-ash: bottom ash) and polymer binder at a dosage greater than 20 wt% resulted in better properties such as flexural strength in the range of 21.5–32 MPa and considered as a high quality stone as per ASTM standards. Similarly, a least water absorption (< 0.3%), porosity (0.001%) and relative wear and tear loss (< 0.8%) was observed. Polymer blended composite immobilize the leachate of heavy metals. The present research outlines the constraints in the waste disposal and provides a suitable solution for effective utilization of incinerated ashes in the construction sector.